2025 Alumni Awards

Award Recipients

The Florida State University College of Law Alumni Association Alumni Awards Committee proposes the following individuals as the 2025 nominees of the Distinguished Alum Award, the Alumni Association Service Award, the Everyday Hero Award, and the Class of ’66 Award.

Distinguished Alum Award

This award recognizes a Florida State University College of Law graduate who is distinguished professionally and who has rendered outstanding service to the community as well as to our College of Law. Factors considered in selecting the winner include professional distinction; good citizenship; and significant contributions benefiting the community, state, and nation.

John Thrasher (’73) of Tallahassee, Florida

Thrasher earned his J.D. with honors in 1972 after serving in the U.S. Army, where he received the Army Commendation Medal in Germany and was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam. Thrasher served as Florida State University’s 15th president from 2014-2021. As president, Thrasher focused his efforts on elevating FSU’s reputation as a preeminent research institution and led the university to recognition as one of the nation’s Top 20 public universities. In addition, he presided over a $1 billion fundraising campaign, championed diversity and inclusion, and welcomed the best and brightest students in the university’s history. Prior to his tenure as president, Thrasher had a successful career as a businessman, lawyer, lobbyist, and state legislator. He served as the 90th speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, with prior experience working in private practice and served as general counsel of the Florida Medical Association for two decades. While serving as speaker, Thrasher was instrumental in the passage of significant criminal justice legislation. As a legislator, he was instrumental in securing funding for the law school’s Advocacy Center. In higher education, Thrasher was named the first chair of FSU’s Board of Trustees in 2001 and served on the board until 2006. He joined the College of Law faculty shortly after stepping down as president and served as the Associate Dean for Government Partnerships and as a professor. Thrasher was deeply committed to elevating legal education based on his own experience and in his belief in the law as a tool for public good.

Alumni Association Service Award

This award recognizes a Florida State University law school graduate who has rendered distinguished service to our College of Law over an extended period of time.

Mike Markham (’88) of Tallahassee, Florida

Markham runs the law school’s new Bankruptcy Law Pro Bono Clinic. The clinic provides law students with the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on federal bankruptcy cases. This Bankruptcy Clinic also allows students to assist individuals who cannot afford legal representation in navigating the complexities of bankruptcy law. Prior to leading the clinic, Markham also taught a bankruptcy practice course. Markham brings a wealth of knowledge to this clinic, as he has practiced bankruptcy law for over thirty years. Markham has worked at Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP since 1988, focusing on bankruptcy and insolvency-related litigation. He currently serves on the law school’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. Markham regularly volunteers with the Career Services office by interviewing students and participating in events like the JD Advisor Fair. Markham is an FSU dual degree holder, receiving both his B.S. in business and J.D. with honors.

Everyday Hero Award

This award recognizes a Florida State University law school graduate who is an early-to mid-career public servant who enthusiastically uses their legal training to make a more just and equitable society.

Nicole Bamberski Hall (’12) of Orlando, Florida

Hall is an assistant public defender for Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit and is a Board-Certified Criminal Trial attorney. She began as a legal intern for the Innocence Project of Florida while a student at Florida State University College of Law. Hall worked at the Second Judicial Circuit Public Defenders office for two years after law school prior to moving to Orlando where she has been an Assistant Public Defender since 2014 and is currently one of three felony managers. Per Public Defender of the 9th Judicial Circuit, Melissa Vickers, “Nicole Bamberski’s commitment to justice and equity stands as a testament to the impact one can have within the criminal defense system. As a dedicated public defender, manager, and trainer she tirelessly advocates for those who often face overwhelming odds, ensuring that every client receives not only a vigorous defense but also dignity and respect. She ensures that the next generation of attorneys have a strong foundation with which to practice. Nicole works every day to ensure that our community receives fairness and is quick to call out injustice in the courtroom. Her unwavering integrity, deep compassion, and steadfast dedication to upholding the principles of fairness and due process make her exemplary in the pursuit of justice.” Hall has served on the Board for The Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in the past and served at Vice President in 2020-21, helping coordinate several events and is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is also a member of George C. Young American Inn of Court.

Class of '66 Award

This award recognizes a non-Florida State University College of Law graduate who has rendered distinguished service to the law school and to the community. Each recipient is inducted into the Class of 1966 to commemorate the year that the Florida State University College of Law opened its doors.

Judge Stephen Brown of Tallahassee, Florida

Brown graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and then went on to obtain his J.D. from the University of Miami while teaching at Dade County Public Schools. He is a retired federal judge who has taught Trial Practice and Jury Selection at the College of Law since 2012. Brown retired after serving for twenty-one years as a United States magistrate judge for the Southern District of Florida, the last three as the chief United States magistrate judge. Prior to that, Brown was a partner in a Miami law firm where he was a civil trial lawyer for nineteen years. Brown has taught a Trial Advocacy Program at the University of Miami Law School and CLE Courses and has spoken before bar associations throughout the United States and overseas. Brown is a member of the FSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors, where he chaired the scholarship committee. Despite not being an alumnus of FSU Law, he and his wife, Yvonne, have supported the College of Law with a deferred major gift to endow the Unconquered Scholars in Law fund.